Smith scores 31 as Jackson earns 100th win as Tiger head coach
Getting a career-high 31 points from freshman guard Marcus Smith, the No. 16-ranked Cowley College men’s basketball team turned a three-point halftime advantage (40-37) into an 86-68 win over Pratt on Wednesday inside W.S. Scott Auditorium.
Smith scored 19 of his 31 points after halftime as Cowley out-scored Pratt 46-31 over the final 20 minutes of play.
"Marcus is a dynamic player and is one of the fastest guards in the country," said Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson, who earned his 100th win as head coach of the Tigers.
Wednesday's first half featured six ties and 13 lead changes before the Tigers went into halftime with a 40-37 lead.
Cowley stormed out of the halftime intermission and grabbed a double-digit lead (50-40) on a basket by Smith only two and a half minutes into the second half. Another basket by Smith increased the Tigers' lead to 20 (64-44), and Cowley went on to win its fifth straight game.
The Tigers are now 10-2 overall and tied for first in the conference with Butler, boasting a 5-1 record.
"We shared the ball really well," Jackson said. "Marcus and Kyden (Thompson) put so much pressure on the defense."
Thompson attempted only three shots from the floor, yet finished with 10 points and eight assists.
Roman Miller (14 points), Leslie Owens (13 points), and Chase Robinson (12 points) also scored in double figures for the Tigers, who shot 53.6 percent from the floor. Cowley also did well at the foul line, sinking 21-of-25 attempts.
Justin Robinson's 17 points led Pratt. Robinson went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, while the rest of the team made only 10-of-20 attempts from the foul line.
The Tigers will wrap up the first semester by hosting Fort Hays Northwest Tech (6-5) on Saturday at 3 p.m. Fort Hays Tech is coming off a 74-71 win over Barton on Tuesday and is led by Marquintez Dixon, who averages 14.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.
"This will be a big game on Saturday," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "We will have our hands full."
Box score:
Pratt (68): Hunter Vaughn 4-9 2-2 12, Justin Robinson 5-7 6-6 17, Seydina Faye 5-10 5-8 15, Izeyah Harris 1-3 1-4 3, Galvin Luketa 1-5 0-0 3, AJ Akot 3-4 0-0 6, Kisean Robinson 2-10 1-4 5, Scottie Guillory 3-5 1-2 7, Javyn Davis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-53 16-26 68.
Cowley (86): Marcus Smith 11-21 6-8 31, Leslie Owens 4-10 5-6 13, Kyden Thompson 2-3 6-7 10, Xavier Vickerstaff 0-2 0-0 0, Roman Miller 5-7 2-2 14, LJ Britt 1-1 2-2 4, Chase Robinson 6-8 0-0 12, Jaxson Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Aven Mboule 0-0 0-0 0, Khai Brown 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 30-56 21-25 86.
Three-pointers: Pratt 4-11 ( Vaughn 2-3, Luketa 1-5, Justin Robinson 1-1, Kisean Robinson 0-2), Cowley 5-14 (Smith 3-8, Miller 2-2, Brown 0-3, Vickerstaff 0-1). Rebounds: Pratt 30 (Akot 6), Cowley 25 (Robinson 6). Assists: Pratt 8 (Vaughn, Justin Robinson 2), Cowley 17 (Thompson 8). Turnovers: Pratt 17, Cowley 12. Total fouls: Pratt 20, Cowley 18. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.